The Apennines Mountains Map and Details - World Atlas The Apennines Mountains Map and Details print this map The source of almost all rivers in Italy including the Arno, Tiber, and Volturno, the Apennines Mountains (Ital. Appennino) 830 miles (1,350km) in length, form the backbone of the country, and run the entire length of the Italian Peninsula, ending on the island of Sicily. The highest point is Mt. Corno at 9,560 ft. (2,914 meters). They are no longer as heavily forested as in the past, as most of the slopes had been harvested over the centuries. Modern conservation and reforestation methods have really helped, and much of the new-growth is now protected by law. These beautiful and rugged mountains are famed for their numerous railroad tunnels and highway passes, quaint villages, and by the storybook Appian Way.

Europe Landforms and Land Statistics - Europe Landforms, Land Statistics Print this map Alps: Located in south-central Europe, they extend for almost 700 miles from the coastline of southern France (near Monaco) into Switzerland , northern Italy and Austria, then southeast through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina as the (Dinaric Alps). Ending in Albania on the rugged coastline of the Adriatic Sea. Known for stunning scenery, glaciers, lakes and valleys and the best skiing conditions on the planet, they're the source of many rivers and tributaries including the Danube, Po, Rhine and Rhone . The highest point is Mont Blanc at 15,771 ft. (4,807 m) Apennines: The source of almost all rivers in Italy including the Arno, Tiber, and Volturno , the Apennines Mountains (Ital. Appennino) 830 miles (1,350 km) in length, form the backbone of the country, and run the entire length of the Italian Peninsula, ending on the island of Sicily. The highest point is Mt. Corno at 9,560 ft. (2,914 m).

Atlantic Highlands: Formed million of years ago during the Caledonian mountain-building periods as western lands were (forced) or pushed against the Scandinavian Shield. Significant mountain ranges here include the Kjolen in Norway and Sweden, and the Pennines that stretch through the central United Kingdom. Balkan Mountains These mountains extend from Yugoslavia across Bulgaria. Additional ranges run through Albania, Greece and Macedonia. Its most famous mountain is Mt. Olympus, the highest and most awe-inspiring peak in all of Greece. In ancient times it was the mythical home of Zeus, and was declared the first national park in Greece in 1939. It stands at 9,568 ft. (2,918 m). Carpathian Mountains This mountain system located in eastern Europe is the source of the Dniester, Tisza and Vistula Rivers . They form the natural border between Slovakia and southern Poland, and then extend southward through Ukraine and into Romania. There are major subdivisions, and the highest point is Mt. Gerlachovkain in northern Slovakia, standing at 8,711 ft. (2,655 m).

Caucasus Mountains Stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, these volcanic mountains have many peaks above 15,000 ft. (4,572 m). The highest point (and the highest point in Europe) is located here; Mt. Elbrus at 18,506 ft. (5,642 m). Great Hungarian Plain Located in southeastern Europe, and surrounded by mountains, the land features several small forests and large patches of grassland. It averages only 100 meters above sea level and often suffers from dry conditions, thus relying on winter snow run-off from the Alps and Carpathian Mountains. Kjolen Mountains This jagged mountain system runs along the border of eastern Norway and western Sweden. The highest point is Mt. Kebnekaise, standing at 6,965 ft. (2,123 m). Massif Central This mountainous plateau of southeastern France is the source of the Allier, Creuse and Loire . It's about 32,189 sq. miles (85, 001 sq.

km) in size, and the highest point is Puy de Sancy at 6,186 ft. (1,885 m). Mesata The central plateau, or Mesata, covers nearly half of the entire country of Spain. This high plateau averages about 2,300 ft. (700 m) in the north, and 2,000 ft. (600 m) in the south. It's surrounded by a series of mountain ranges including the Cantabrian, Sierra De Gata and Sierra Guadarrama in the north and central, and the Sierra Morena and Sierra Nevada in the south. These mountains separate the Meseta from the Costa Verde, the Ebro valley, the Mediterranean and the valleys of Andalucia. North European Plain The fertile North European Plain slopes to the north-northeast from the Alps, extending to the Baltic Sea, and on into Denmark and southern Finland, Norway and Sweden. It continues east for almost 2,500 miles (4000 km), on into the Russian Federation. The land is largely flat with smaller areas of hills, including the Central Russian Uplands. Farming is prevalent and agricultural communities dot the landscape.

Pyrenees These mountains form the natural border between France and Spain and extend for about 270 miles from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea . The highest point is Pico de Aneto at 11,168 ft. (3,404 m) Scandinavian Shield An ancient area of rocky earth peppered with granite rock that was literally ground down by receding glacial ice sheets. It's a rolling area of land covered with thousands of lakes (mostly small), linked by rivers. Ural Mountains The Urals are 1,640 miles (2,640 km) in length and extend from the northern-edge of the Russian Federation down through Kazakhstan. They form a natural border between Asia and Europe. The highest point is Mt. Narodnaya at 6,214 ft. (1,894 m). Where are the Apennine mountains located? | Reference.com Where are the Apennine mountains located? A: Quick Answer The Apennine Mountains are located in Italy. Stretching 830 miles in length, the Apennine Mountains compose the backbone of the country by spanning the entire Italian peninsula and ending in Sicily.

These mountains are the source of the vast majority of rivers located in Italy. Full Answer The highest point in the Apennine Mountains is Mount Corno at 9,560 feet. The highest peak of the mountain is covered by the Calderone Glacier. This is the only glacier on the Apennines, and it has been receding since 1794. The mountain range gets is name from the Apennine peninsula, which makes up a large part of Italy. Visits Italy - All about Italy - The Appenine Mountains Modern geographers divide the range into three parts: northern, central and southern. Northern Apennines The northern Apennines are generally distinguished (though there is no real solution of continuity) from the Maritime Alps at the Bocchetta dell' Altare, some 5 miles west of Savona on the high road to Turin . [The ancient Via Aemilia , built in 109 BC, led over this pass, but originally turned east to Dertona (mod. Tortona ).] They again are divided into three parts--the Ligurian, Tuscan and Umbrian Apennines.

Ligurian Apennines The Ligurian Apennines extend as far as the pass of La Cisa in the upper valley of the Magra (anc. Macra) above Spezia ; at first they follow the curve of the Gulf of Genoa , and then run east-south-east parallel to the coast. On the north and north-east lie the broad plains of Piedmont and Lombardy , traversed by the Po , the chief tributaries of which from the Ligurian Apennines are the Scrivia (Olumbria), Trebbia (Trebia) and Taro (Tarus). The Tanaro (Tanarus), though largely fed by tributaries from the Ligurian Apennines, itself rises in the Maritime Alps, while the rivers on the south and south-west of the range are short and unimportant. The south side of the range rises steeply from the sea, leaving practically no coast strip: its slopes are sheltered and therefore fertile and highly cultivated, and the coast towns form the favourite winter resorts of the Italian Riviera . The highest point (the Monte Bue) reaches 5915 feet.

The range is crossed by several railways--the line from Savona to Turin (with a branch at Ceva for Acqui ), that from Genoa to Ovada and Acqui, the main lines from Genoa to Novi, the junction for Turin and Milan (both of which (There are two separate lines from Sampierdarena to Ronco) pass under the Monte dei Giovi, the ancient Mons Loventius, by which the ancient Via Postumia ran from Genua to Dertona), and that from Spezia to Parma under the pass of La Cisa. (This pass was also traversed by a nameless Roman road .) All these traverse the ridge by long tunnels--that on the new line from Genoa to Honco is upwards of 5 miles in length. Tuscan Apennines The Tuscan Apennines extend from the pass of La Cisa to the sources of the Tiber . The main chain continues to run in an east-south-east direction, but traverses the peninsula, the west coast meanwhile turning almost due south.

From the northern slopes many rivers and streams run north and north-north-east into the Po, the Secchia (Secia) and Panaro (Scultenna) being among the most important, while farther east most of the rivers are tributaries of the Reno (anc. Rhenus). Other small streams, e.g. the Ronco (Bedesis) and Montone (Utis), which flow into the sea together east of Ravenna , were also tributaries of the Po; and the Savio (Sapis) and the Rubicon seem to be the only streams from this side of the Tuscan Apennines that ran directly into the sea in Roman days. From the south-west side of the main range the Arno and Serchio run into the Mediterranean. This section of the Apennines is crossed by two railways, from Pistoia to Bologna and from Florence to Faenza , and by several good high roads, of which the direct road from Florence to Bologna over the Futa pass is of Roman origin; and certain places in it are favourite summer resorts. The highest point of the chain is Monte Cimone (7103 feet).

The so-called Alpi Apuane (the Apuani were an ancient people of Liguria ), a detached chain south-west of the valley of the Serchio, rise to a maximum height of 6100 feet. They contain the famous marble quarries of Carrara . The greater part of Tuscany, however, is taken up by lower hills, which form no part of the Apennines, being divided from the main chain by the valleys of the Arno , Chiana (Clanis) and Paglia (Pallia), Towards the west they are rich in minerals and chemicals, which the Apennines proper do not produce. Umbrian Apennines The Umbrian Apennines extend from the sources of the Tiber to (or perhaps rather beyond) the pass of Scheggia near Cagli, where the ancient Via Flaminia crosses the range. The highest point is the Monte Nerone (5010 feet). The chief river is the Tiber itself: the others, among which the Foglia (Pisaurus), Metauro and Esino (This river (anc.

Aesis) was the boundary of Italy proper in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC) may be mentioned, run north-east into the Adriatic, which is some 30 miles from the highest points of the chain. This portion of the range is crossed near its southern termination by a railway from Foligno to Ancona (which at Fabriano has a branch to Macerata and Civitanova Marche , on the Adriatic coast railway), which may perhaps be conveniently regarded as its boundary. (The Monte Conero, to the south of Ancona, was originally an island of the Pliocene sea.) By some geographers, indeed, it is treated as a part of the central Apennines. Central Apennines The central Apennines are the most extensive portion of the chain, and stretch as far as the valley of the Sangro (Sangrus). To the north are the Monti Sibillini, the highest point of which is the Monte Vettore (8128 feet).

Farther south three parallel chains may be traced, the westernmost of which (the Monti Sabini) culminates to the south in the Monte Viglio (7075 feet), the central chain in the Monte Terminillo (7260 feet), and farther south in the Monte Velino (8160 feet), and the eastern in the Gran Sasso d'Italia (9560 feet), the highest summit of the Apennines, and the Maiella group (Monte Amaro, 9170 feet). Between the western and central ranges are the plain of Rieti , the valley of the Salto (Himella), and the Lago Fucino; while between the central and eastern ranges are the valleys of Aquila and Sulmona . The chief rivers on the west are the Nera (Nar), with its tributaries the Velino (Velinus) and Salto, and the Anio , both of which fall into the Tiber.

On the east there is at first a succession of small rivers which flow into the Adriatic, from which the highest points of the chain are some 25 miles distant, such as the Potenza (Flosis), Chienti (Cluentus), Tenna (Tinna), Tronto (Truentus), Tordino (Helvinus), Vomano (Vomanus), &c. The Pescara (Aternus), which receives the Aterno from the north-west and the Gizio from the south-east, is more important; and so is the Sangro . The central Apennines are crossed by the railway from Rome to Castelammare Adriatico via Avezzano and Sulmona: the railway from Orte to Terni (and thence to Foligno) follows the Nera valley; while from Terni a line ascends to the plain of Rieti, and thence crosses the central chain to Aquila, whence it follows the valley of the Aterno to Sulmona. In ancient times the Via Salaria , Via Caecilia and Via Valeria-Claudia all ran from Rome to the Adriatic coast.

The volcanic mountains of the province of Rome are separated from the Apennines by the Tiber valley, and the Monti Lepini, or Volscian mountains, by the valleys of the Sacco and Liri. Southern Apennines In the southern Apennines, to the south of the Sangro valley, the three parallel chains are broken up into smaller groups; among them may be named the Matese, the highest point of which is the Monte Miletto (6725 feet). The chief rivers on the south-west are the Liri or Garigliano (anc. Liris)} with its tributary the Sacco (Trerus), the Volturno (Volturnus), Sebeto (Sabatus), Sarno (Sarnus), on the north the Trigno (Trinius), Biferno (Tifernus), and Fortore (Frento). The promontory of Monte Gargano , on the east, is completely isolated, and so are the volcanic groups near Naples .

The district is traversed from north-west to south-east by the railway from Sulmona to Benevento and on to Avellino , and from south-west to northeast by the railways from Caianello via Isernia to Campobasso and Termoli, from Caserta to Benevento and Foggia, and from Nocera and Avellino to Rocchetta S. Antonio, the junction for Foggia, Spinazzola (for Barletta, Bari, and Taranto ) and Potenza. Roman roads followed the same lines as the railways: the Via Appia ran from Capua to Benevento, whence the older road went to Venosa and Taranto and so to Brindisi , while the Via Traiana ran nearly to Foggia and thence to Bari.

The valley of the Ofanto (Aufidus), which runs into the Adriatic close to Barletta , marks the northern termination of the first range of the Lucanian Apennines (now Basilicata), which runs from east to west, while south of the valleys of the Sele (on the west) and Basiento (on the east)-which form the line followed by the railway from Battipaglia via Potenza to Metaponto--the second range begins to run due north and south as far as the plain of Sibari (Sybaris). The highest point is the Monte Pollino (7325 feet). The chief rivers are the Sele (Silarus)--joined by the Negro (Tanager) and Calore (Calor)--on the west, and the Bradano (Bradanus), Basiento (Casuentus), Agri (Aciris), Sinni (Siris) on the east, which flow into the gulf of Taranto; to the south of the last-named river there are only unimportant streams flowing into the sea east and west, inasmuch as here the width of the peninsula diminishes to some 40 miles.

The railway running south from Sicignano to Lagonegro, ascending the valley of the Negro, is planned to extend to Cosenza, along the line followed by the ancient Via Popilia, which beyond Cosenza reached the west coast at Terina and thence followed it to Reggio. The Via Herculia, a branch of the Via Traiana, ran from Aequum Tuticum to the ancient Nerulum. At the narrowest point the plain of Sibari, through which the rivers Coscile (Sybaris) and Crati (Crathis) flow to the sea, occurs on the east coast, extending halfway across the peninsula. Here the limestone Apennines proper cease and the granite mountains of Calabria (anc. Bruttii) begin. The first group extends as far as the isthmus formed by the gulfs of S. Eufemia and Squillace; it is known as the Sila, and the highest point reached is 6330 feet (the Botte Donato). The forests which covered it in ancient times supplied the Greeks and Sicilians with timber for shipbuilding. The railway from S.

Eufemia to Catanzaro and Catanzaro Marina crosses the isthmus, and an ancient road may have run from Squillace to Monteleone. The second group extends to the south end of the Italian peninsula, culminating in the Aspromonte (6420 feet) to the east of Reggio di Calabria . In both groups the rivers are quite unimportant. Character The Apennines are to some extent clothed with forests, though these were probably more extensive in classical times ( Pliny mentions especially pine, oak and beech woods, Hist. Nat. xvi. 177); they have indeed been greatly reduced in comparatively modern times by indiscriminate timber-felling, and though serious attempts at reforestation have been made by the government, much remains to be done. They also furnish considerable summer pastures, especially in the Abruzzi : Pliny (Hist. Nat. xi. 240) praises the cheese of the Apennines. In the forests wolves were frequent, and still are found, the flocks being protected against them by large sheep-dogs; bears, however, which were known in Roman times, have almost entirely disappeared.

Nor are the wild goats called rotae, spoken of by Marcus Terentius Varro (Rerum rusticarum II. i. 5), which may have been either chamois or steinbock , to be found. Brigandage]appears to have been prevalent in Roman times in the remoter parts of the Apennines, as it was until recently: an inscription found near the Furlo pass was set up in AD 246 by an evocatus Augusti (a member of a picked corps) on special police duty with a detachment of twenty men from the Ravenna fleet (G. Henzen in Rï¿½mische Mitteilungen, 1887, 14). Snow lies on the highest peaks of the Apennines for almost the whole year.

The range produces no minerals, but there are a considerable number of good mineral springs , some of which are thermal (such as Bagni di Lucca, Monte Catini, Monsummano, Porretta, Telese), while others are cool (such as Nocera, Sangemini, Cinciano, &c.), the water of which is both drunk on the spot and sold as table water elsewhere. Geology The Apennines are the continuation of the Alpine chain, but the individual zones of the Alps cannot be traced into the Apennines. The zone of the Brianconnais may be followed as far as the Gulf of Genoa , but scarcely beyond, unless it is represented by the Trias and older beds of the Apuan Alps. The inner zone of crystalline and schistose rocks which forms the main chain of the Alps, is absent in the Apennines except towards the southern end. The Apennines, indeed, consist almost entirely of Mesozoic and Tertiary beds, like the outer zones of the Alps.

Remnants of a former inner zone of more ancient rocks may be seen in the Apuan Alps, in the islands off the Tuscan coast; in the Catena Metallifera, Cape Circeo and the island of Zannone , as well as in the Calabrian peninsula . These remnants lie at a comparatively low level, and excepting the Apuan Alps and the Calabrian peninsula do not now form any part of the Apennine chain. But that in Tertiary times there was a high interior zone of crystalline rocks is indicated by the character of the Eocene beds in the southern Apennines. These are formed to a large extent of thick conglomerates which are full of pebbles and boulders of granite and schist . Many of the boulders are of considerable size and they are often still angular. There is now no crystalline region from which they could reach their present position; and this and other considerations have led the followers of Eduard Suess to conclude that even in Tertiary times a large land mass consisting of ancient rocks occupied the space which is now covered by the southern portion of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

This old land mass has been called Tyrrhenis , and probably extended from Sicily into Latium and as far west as Sardinia . On the Italian border of this land there was raised a mountain chain with an inner crystalline zone and an outer zone of Mesozoic and Tertiary beds. Subsequent faulting has caused the subsidence of the greater part of Tyrrhenis, including nearly the whole of the inner zone of the mountain chain, and has left only the outer zones standing as the present Apennines. Be this as it may, the Apennines, excepting in Calabria, are formed chiefly of Triassic , Jurassic , Cretaceous , Eocene and Miocene beds. In the south the deposits, from the Trias to the middle Eocene, consist mainly of limestones , and were laid down, with a few slight interruptions, upon a quietly subsiding sea-floor. In the later part of the Eocene period began the folding which gave rise to the existing chain. The sea grew shallow, the deposits became conglomeratic and shaly, volcanic eruptions began, and the present folds of the Apennines were initiated.

The folding and consequent elevation went on until the close of the Miocene period when a considerable subsidence took place and the Pliocene sea overspread the lower portions of the range. Subsequent elevation, without folding, has raised these Pliocene deposits to a considerable height--in some cases over 3000 feet and they now lie almost undisturbed upon the older folded beds. This last elevation led to the formation of numerous lakes which are now filled up by Pleistocene deposits. Both volcanic eruptions and movements of elevation and depression continue to the present day on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea . In the northern Apennines the elevation of the sea floor appears to have begun at an earlier period, for the Upper Cretaceous of that part of the chain consists largely of sandstones and conglomerates. In Calabria the chain consists chiefly of crystalline and schistose rocks; it is the Mesozoic and Tertiary zone which has here been sunk beneath the sea. Similar rocks are found beneath the Trias farther north, in some of the valleys of Basilicata. Glaciers no longer exist in the Apennines, but Post-Pliocene moraines have been observed in Basilicata.

Mountains in the Appennine Range The Appenines traverse Italy in a direction from about north-north-east to south-south-west, almost precisely parallel to that of the coast of the Adriatic from Rimini to Pescara . Major mountains in the range include: Apennines Encyclopedia > Places > Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and the Balkans > Italian Physical Geography Apennines Apennines (ăpˈənĪnz) [ key ], Ital. Appennino, mountain system, running the entire length of the Italian peninsula. It extends south c.840 mi (1,350 km) from the Cadibona Pass in Liguria, NW Italy, where the Apennines join with the Ligurian Alps, to the Strait of Messina; the mountains of Sicily are a southwest continuation of the system. The Apennines are widest (c.80 mi/130 km) in the central section, which also contains the highest peaks, Mt. Corno (9,560 ft/2,914 m high) and Mt. Amaro (9,170 ft/2,795 m high).

However, in general the peaks are much lower. The central and southern Apennines have mineral springs, crater lakes, fumaroles, and volcanoes (two, Vesuvius and Etna, are still active). The southern section also experiences many earthquakes. In 1980 one near Campania left 4800 people dead. Of the many rivers rising in the Apennines, the few important ones (Arno, Tiber, and Volturno) all flow W into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The N and central Apennines are rich in a great variety of minerals. There are many hydroelectric plants in the mountains. The once heavily forested slopes of the system have been greatly reduced by humans through the centuries; attempts at conservation and reforestation have been made. The greatest population concentrations are found in the valleys and the fertile basins. Extensive pasturelands are used for sheep and goat grazing. The Apennines are pierced by many railroad tunnels and highway passes, and by the Appian, Cassian, Flaminian, and Salarian ways (see Roman roads ). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press.

All rights reserved. Northern Apennines: Magic Mountains and Rugged Valleys, Italy’s Backbone Northern Apennines: Endless Mountains, Valleys and Woodlands for the Nature Lover to Enjoy. The Origin of the Apennines The Apennines are the central spine of Italy, and they can be roughly divided into a northern, central and southern section. The Northern Apennines are being dealt with in this page, whose purpose is to first give you a general description of the nature of this long mountain range, and then focus with more detail on its northern section, with the intent to direct the visitor to different points of interest within it (in the picture above, see a picture of the Northern Apennines taken from the Raticosa Pass, situated at the boundary between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna ). The geology of the Apennines is quite complex, and this complexity engenders different landscapes. The lower reaches of the range are formed mainly of sand and silts, giving the mountains a softer, more rounded aspect, while the backbone of the chain is formed of harder rocks such as limestone and granite.

The Apennines were created by the so-called Apennine orogeny, the mountain-creation process which began around 20 million years ago – in the Neogene period – and continues up to today. Geographically, they are or appear to be continuous with the Alps, but in fact they were generated by a separate process. Both the Alps and the Apennines are made primarily of sedimentary rocks, resulting from the materials deposited on the bottom of the Tethys sea during the Mesozoic era, but the Apennines were created in fact much later, and thus are not – as many believe – a displacement of the Alpine chain. Instead, they were separated by the Adriatic trench and were never a part of the same system, so that – however similar – the tectonics is still not the same as the one which created the Alps.

There are also notable differences between the two sides of the range: the eastern side of Italy features fold-mountains raised by compression forces acting under the Adriatic sea, while on the western side fault-block mountains prevail, created by a spread or an extension of the crust under the Tyrrhenian sea – so that the Apennines are unique in having mountains derived from both compression and extension. Within the compression zone, sedimentation occured at a much faster pace than subduction; in the extension zone, on the contrary, both the folded and the fault-block systems include parallel mountain chains. In this latter zone, the ridges are lower and more steep-sided, following the seams of the original faults. The Geography of the Apennines The Apennines consist of parallel smaller mountain chains, extending for 1,200 km along the whole length of peninsular Italy. This system forms an arc enclosing the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian sea to the west and the Adriatic sea to the east, thus dividing Italy into a Tyrrhenian and an Adriatic sector.

Most big cities of central-northern Italy lie either at the foothills of the Apennines (most notably Genoa, Florence and Bologna, plus most towns of Emilia-Romagna ), or amid the outlying ranges: amongst the latter are Siena, Arezzo, Perugia, Terni – and many others. Geographically, these outer sectors are not considered part of the Apennines proper but are termed "Sub-Apennine" or "Anti-Apennine", and are mainly found in central/southern Italy. Rome itself lies further away along the Tiber valley – close to its outlet into the Tyrrhenian sea – but the Apennines are in sight from there too. The Apennines include 21 peaks over 1,900 m (6,200 ft), which is the approximate tree line. This line can be found at around 1,900/2,000 m, so that only about 5% of the area covered by the Apennines is above it; the snow line is virtually at about 3,200 m (therefore no peak is above it).

The number of plant species has been estimated at 5,599; 728 of which are contained within habitats above the tree line. From a technical point of view, the Apennines start at Altare – at the so-called Colle di Cadibona – a low pass (only 436 m) situated at the border between Piedmont and Liguria, west of Genoa and inland from Savona. The Northern Apennines then proceed eastwards, running in an arc covering most of inland Liguria, a small section of Lombardy (in the province of Pavia), and then the whole length of Emilia-Romagna – a very long region whose axis is the Via Emilia (in fact, the region derives its very name from this almost straight Roman road traced between Piacenza and Rimini, which connects all its main cities). The Via Emilia divides Emilia-Romagna almost neatly into two parts: the extensive plains of the Po valley (or Val Padana) open up to the north, while the hilly, mountainous expanse of the Apennines lies to the south.

Each province of Emilia-Romagna has its 'section' of Apennines, which usually take their name from the main city of reference (for example, Appennino Parmense from Parma; Appennino Modenese from Modena; Appennino Bolognese from Bologna – and so forth). To the Northern Apennines belongs also a section of Tuscany, covering roughly half of the region, and coinciding approximately with the mountainous parts of the provinces of Massa-Carrara and Lucca, where is also located the outlying range of the Alpi Apuane – and there is much debate as to whether the Apuane are part of the Apennines or not (as a matter of fact, the Apuane have a different geology, since they are formed of marble, but they are separated by the main system only by the Serchio valley). The provinces of Prato, Firenze and Arezzo also include a large section of the Northern Apennines within their territories.

Etymology of the Apennines The most commonly accepted etymology of ‘Apennines’ derives their name from the Celtic root Pen(n) or Ben, meaning ‘summit’ or ‘ peak’ – which allegedly has been assigned to them during the Celtic domination of Italy in the 4th century AD (but possibly even before). This name, it seems, originally applied only to the Northern Apennines, and was extended at a later stage to include the whole range (but as late as in year 2000 the Italian Ministry of the Environment, following recommendations from the APE project – “Apennines Park of Europe” – included also the mountains of northern Sicily within the system, bringing the length of the whole range to 1,500 km; one could therefore say that the denomination remains alive and shifting to this very day).

It may add a note of interest to reflect on the fact that the same Celtic root lends its name to other mountain ranges in Europe (such as the Pennines in England), as well as to many single peaks or villages within the Apennine range itself (such as Monte Penna in Liguria, Monte Beni at the boundary between Tuscany and Emilia, or the towns of Pennabilli in Montefeltro and Penne in Abruzzo – just to mention a few examples). Roughly speaking, the different parts of the Apennines are named after the region where they are located, but provincial and regional boundaries have not been stable over the years either, so sometimes this has resulted in discrepancies between the geographical borders (mainly identified with the watersheds) and the administrative ones. The Northern Apennines in More Detail Zooming in a bit more detail within the individual regions forming the Northern Apennines now, belonging to Liguria are the valleys of the Bormida, Tanaro and Scrivia rivers, and the beginning of those of the Trebbia and Taro too – two important rivers which further flow into Emilia; towards the southern end of the region, the Aveto Natural Regional Park includes Monte Penna.

Liguria’s highest peak is Monte Maggiorasca (1,780 m). The following section – covering Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany – is known as “Appennino Tosco-Emiliano” (or ‘Tuscan-Aemilian Apennines’): this starts roughly east of the axis formed by the Magra and Taro rivers, whose valleys are connected by the Passo della Cisa (1,041 m). The elevations get higher in this part, with a succession of peaks such as – just to mention the main ones – Monte Cusna (2,121 m) in the province of Reggio Emilia (located in an area covered by the extensive Alto Appennino National Park); Monte Cimone in the province of Modena (at 2,165 m the highest point in the Northern Apennines) and Corno alle Scale (1,945 m), in the province of Bologna . These latter areas are all occupied by smaller but interesting Regional Parks (the picture below shows Monte Cimone as seen from the town of Monghidoro, in the Bologna Apennines ).

From a geographical point of view, the Northern Apennines end at the source of the river Tiber on Monte Fumaiolo (1,407 m), where the borders of three different regions converge ( Emilia-Romagna , Tuscany and the Marche). This point marks the beginning of the Central Apennines further south, while the area is also covered by an extensive and very important National Park with a long name – the Parco Nazionale Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campigna. Since 1865 onwards a series of tunnels has perforated the middle section of the Northern Apennines in order to improve communications between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic sides of the country, as well as connecting Northern and Central Italy. But the Romans were the first to trace a number of roads through the Apennines – the most famous to this day being perhaps the via Flaminia, running between Rimini and Rome.

The Futa pass (Passo della Futa) also lies on a Roman road (the “via Flaminia Minor”), while the road bearing the same name (“Strada della Futa”) is a Napoleonic feat of engineering dating from the early 19th century; a time when several different roads were traced between Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany (as for example the via Vandelli between Modena and Massa, or the via Giardini between Modena and Lucca). Over time, however, the interest focused on connecting the two regional capitals, Florence and Bologna – the Futa Road representing the first effort in that respect. With the advent of the railway (the so-called ‘Direttissima’, which dates from 1934) – and even more so with motorway traffic – the doubling of tunnels amplified relentlessly, so that the axis Bologna/Florence was turned into the most congested section of the Apennines; nevertheless, some interesting sights surprisingly remain, even not too far away from this busy crossing link (as for example Monte Beni ).

The terrain of the Apennines (as well as that of the Alps) is to a large degree unstable due to various types of falls and slides of rocks and debris, earth- and mud-flows, lateral spreads and sink holes. These phenomena are so widespread and problematic that an Italian government agency (founded in 2008) published in that year a special report: the Italian Landslide Inventory – an extensive survey of all the historical landslides in Italy. The most unstable terrains in the Apennines are deemed to be those on the eastern flanks of the range (in the Tuscan-Aemilian section), in the Central Apennines and on the eastern side of the Southern Apennines. The Apennines are gradually slumping away to the north-east into the Po Valley and the Adriatic fore-deep; that is, the zone where the Adriatic floor is still being subducted under Italy.

Walking in the Apennines A number of long hiking trails wind their way through the Apennines: one is the European Walking Route E1 that crosses the whole continent – leading eventually to the Northern Apennines, and further down into Central and Southern Italy – while the Grand Italian Trail crosses the lenght of the range all the way to Calabria. On a regional level, there are ‘shorter’ versions – such as the G.T.A. (“Grande Traversata Appenninica”) between Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany – plus innumerable thematic routes of a more local or historical interest. Worth mentioning among these – as far as the Northern Apennines are concerned – is the via Francigena, an ancient route walked by French pilgrims on their way to Rome. The Bologna Apennines And now – as I finish – allow me to become personal for a moment. The area of the Apennines that I know best is that around Bologna, as I was born there. I have therefore described some of the natural features around the regional capital of Emilia-Romagna in a bit more detail.

There are, in fact, a few reserves which are worth mentioning in this section of the Northern Apennines – such as the Historic Park of Monte Sole (Parco Storico di Monte Sole) and the Regional Park of the Pliocenic Rampart (Parco Regionale del Contrafforte Pliocenico). Other notable areas where to walk in this part of the Northern Apennines include sections at its foothills, such as the Gessi Bolognesi (Parco Regionale dei Gessi Bolognesi e Calanchi dell'Abbadessa) – a remarkable area for its geology and karstic phenomena – while further east into Romagna is the Regional Park of the Vena del Gesso (Parco Regionale della Vena del Gesso Romagnola); both these areas are renowned for their extensive chalk formations.

Also – even though this strays off a bit from the main topic of this page – not far from the hilltop town of Loiano (near Bologna) are the fascinating small gardens of the Casoncello (the picture above shows the wide, open expanse of the Northern Apennines from the area of the Gessi Bolognesi , very close to Bologna). Apennines facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Apennines The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright The Columbia University Press Apennines (ăp´ənīnz), Ital. Appennino, mountain system, running the entire length of the Italian peninsula. It extends south c.840 mi (1,350 km) from the Cadibona Pass in Liguria, NW Italy, where the Apennines join with the Ligurian Alps, to the Strait of Messina; the mountains of Sicily are a southwest continuation of the system. The Apennines are widest (c.80 mi/130 km) in the central section, which also contains the highest peaks, Mt. Corno (9,560 ft/2,914 m high) and Mt.

Amaro (9,170 ft/2,795 m high). However, in general the peaks are much lower. The central and southern Apennines have mineral springs, crater lakes, fumaroles, and volcanoes (two, Vesuvius and Etna, are still active). The southern section also experiences many earthquakes. In 1980 one near Campania left 4800 people dead. Of the many rivers rising in the Apennines, the few important ones (Arno, Tiber, and Volturno) all flow W into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The N and central Apennines are rich in a great variety of minerals. There are many hydroelectric plants in the mountains. The once heavily forested slopes of the system have been greatly reduced by humans through the centuries; attempts at conservation and reforestation have been made. The greatest population concentrations are found in the valleys and the fertile basins. Extensive pasturelands are used for sheep and goat grazing. The Apennines are pierced by many railroad tunnels and highway passes, and by the Appian, Cassian, Flaminian, and Salarian ways (see Roman roads ).

Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes © Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes 2007, originally published by Oxford University Press 2007.

Apennines •banns, glans, Prestonpans, sans •Octans •Benz, cleanse, Fens, gens, lens •Homo sapiens • impatiens • nolens volens • delirium tremens • Serpens •vas deferens • Cairns • Keynes •Jeans, means, Queens , smithereens •Owens • Robbins • Rubens • gubbins •Hitchens • O'Higgins •Huggins, juggins, muggins •imagines • Jenkins • Eakins • Dickens •Wilkins • Hopkins •Dawkins, Hawkins •Collins • Gobelins • widdershins •matins • Martens • Athens • avens •Heinz • confines • Apennines •bonze, bronze, Johns, mod cons, Mons, St John's •Downs, grounds, hash-browns, Townes •Jones, nones •lazybones • sawbones • fivestones • New Orleans , Orléans •Lions, Lyons •Gibbons • St Albans • Siddons •shenanigans • Huygens • vengeance •goujons • St Helens • Hollands •Newlands •

 Brooklands • Netherlands •Siemens • Symons • commons •summons • Lorenz • Parsons •Goossens •Lamentations, United Nations •Colossians • Sextans • Buttons •Evans • Stevens • Ovens • Onions •Lutyens •Cousins, Cozens •Burns Cite this article

Question: In which country are the Appenines?
Answer: ITALY